Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn's violent-but-hilarious action movie is a knowing take on the superhero genre, based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's comic-book series. Avid comic fan and New York high schooler Dave Lizewski has begun to wonder why his contemporaries are keener on vapid celebrity than wanting to emulate his (super) heroes and try to make the world a better place. Thus Lizewski orders a simply hideous skiing outfit and dons it to become Kick-Ass, scourge of New York's criminals. Well that's the idea, but of course it's his ass that gets kicked when he first tries to put his plan into action. Despite that setback, and spurred on by his desire for a female classmate, he has another go at launching his crime-fighting career. It almost ends as badly as the first one, but this time he's rescued by fellow 'superheroes' Hit Girl and Big Daddy. She's just 11 years old, but has a taste and aptitude for violence that would impress a ninja and swears frequently and badly enough to shock a football fan; he's ever the doting father, gifting her presents of lethal weapons. Together the trio embark on their quest to clean up the city. But waiting in the wings is crime boss Frank D'Amico - and he's no pushover. The film's controversial mix of humour, bad language, sophisticated satire and frequent violence garnered a raft of awards as well as widespread critical acclaim.